News archives (2004 - 01)

Commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Major General Jonas Kronaitis met on Thursday, 29 January with Danish , Swedish, Finnish, Latvian and Estonian Chiefs of defence. On Friday, 30 January, the Baltic and Nordic national armed forces commanders met at the Defence College near Helsinki to discuss joint military projects, peacekeeping operations and future plans

On Wednesday, 29 January an official welcome and award ceremony will take place in the Alytus-based Lithuanian Great Duchess Birutė Infantry Battalion. Forty-five troops from the Lithuanian peacekeeping detachment LITDET-1 who have returned from a six-month mission in Iraq will be awarded the National Defence System level decoration – Medal For International Missions.

The ceremony will be attended by Lithuanian National Defence Minister Linas Linkevičius, Commander of the Lithuanian Land Forces, Brigadier General Valdas Tutkus, Commander of the Lithuanian Motorised Inafantry Brigade Iron Wolf Lieutenant Colonel Gediminas Jurgutis.

On 19-21 January Lithuanian Armed Forces Commander Major General Jonas Kronkaitis and Danish Chief of Defence General Hans Jesper Helso were in Iraq to meet with Lithuanian and Danish troops serving in this country. On Wednesday, 21 January the Lithuanian and Danish military leadership bid farewell to the troops serving in the international mission and departed for Kuwait, from where they left for Denmark. This was the second time that the Lithuanian Armed Forces Commander was in the Persian Gulf region, where Lithuania troops have served as part of the US-led coalition partner Operation Iraqi Freedom since last spring.

The aim of the visit was to meet with the UK military command in Al Basrah and discuss further co-operation plans in stabilising the situation in Iraq, and familiarise with perspective goals of coalition partners.

On Wednesday, 21 January a chapel will be officially opened in the Lithuanian Grand Duke Kęstutis Motorised Infantry Brigade in Tauragė, Western Lithuania. This will be the first battalion in Lithuania to have its own chapel.

The chapel has been established on request from soldiers. " It is the most positive thing that soldiers want to have their own church, " says Lt Col Juozas Gražulis, Chief Chaplain of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Two years ago a chapel was also opened in the Lithuanian Military Academy in Vilnius.

On Saturday, 17 January the Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces (KASP) will be marking the 13th anniversary.

Festive events to mark the occasion will be attended by members of the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania, National Defence Ministry's authorities, command of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, foreign defence attaches, commanders of military units. Commanders of volunteer forces of Latvia and Estonia are also planning to join the festive events dedicated to mark the anniversary.

On Sunday, 11 January a traditional international honour footrace dedicated in memory of those who lost lives for Lithuania's freedom will take place in Vilnius. The event, entitled, " Road of Life and Death", will start at 1145 hrs when participants will lay wreaths of flowers at the gravesites of Defenders of Freedom. At 1200 hrs the simultaneous discharge of missiles will mark the start of the 13th international honour footrace. The route of the "Road of Life and Death" will run from the Antakalnis Cemetery to the Television Tower.

On Monday 12 January 59 troops from the Lithuanian Grand Duchess Birutė Motorised Infantry Battalion are leaving for their mission in Iraq.

After an adaptation period in Kuwait, the Lithuanian peacekeeping detachment LITDET-2 (Lithuanian Detachment) will interchange in late January with the first 45-strong Lithuanian platoon LITDET-1 in the Polish controlled sector in Iraq. Five military officers are also departing for Iraq to assume their posts in the Polish-controlled multinational division headquarters in Babylon.

The leaving ceremony will be attended by Lithuanian National Defence Minister, Linas Linkevičius, Commander of the Lithuanian Land Forces, Brigadier General Valdas Tutkus.

Between 7-8 January Commander of the Lithuanian Land Forces, Brigadier General Valdas Tutkus, will be visiting the Baltic Defence College (BALTDEFCOL) in Tartu, Estonia, where he is scheduled to give a report at the Colonels Course and take part in discussions.

In his report, Brig Gen Tutkus will focus on organisation of the Lithuanian Land Forces headquarters and its role; together with the College Commandant Brigadier General Michael H. Clemmesen, the Lithuanian Land Forces Commander is also expected to take part in discussions on specific features of organisation of multinational headquarters.

The Colonels Course began in the academic year 2001-2002. The course for field grade officers (senior major/navy lieutenant commanders to colonel/navy captain) is designed to prepare officers for Chief of Staff or Project Leader positions.

On 9 January some sixty servicemen from the Vytautas the Great Jaeger Battalion will help to clean snow and ice from public transport stops and zebra crossings in Kaunas, Lithuania's second largest city.